The novel juxtaposes these neighboring communities to highlight economic and emotional disparities. Like many real towns in upstate New York, the fictional North Bath initially responded to the economic decline resulting from deindustrialization by focusing on tourism, based on its mineral springs. The town began to lose hope altogether when those springs suddenly and inexplicably dried up. Schuyler Springs is North Bath’s more fortunate counterpart. It continues to be a successful spa resort and has undergone substantial gentrification.

The differences between the two towns, which are in a way inverse mirror versions of each other, support the novel’s theme of Alternate Identities and Fate. Differences between them result in characters’ often resigned attitudes toward agency and destiny: The arbitrary event of the mineral springs drying up leads many in North Bath to also give up, seeing the world as an unpredictably cruel place. Richard Russo’s novel titles brand their protagonists as fools, asking whether it is more foolish to accept failure and stop self-improvement, or to serve a community and live meaningfully in spite of the overwhelming odds.